McAllister - Any Room For This Man?

A few months ago, quietly and without fanfare, Malachy McAllister reached another milestone in his battle to make a new life for himself and his family in the United States.

He likely paid the moment no heed. Might not have even noticed it.

In March of this year, McAllister marked nine years of a quasi-American life.

In so doing he put clear daylight between himself and the almost nine years that fellow Belfast man Joe Doherty notched up between 1983 and 1992.

McAllister didn't really need the extra marker. His battle for an American life is littered with them.

And if at the end of his legal sage he is forced to board a plane and leave America, even that ultimate moment will pale against the biggest marker of them all, the death of his beloved wife Bernadette in May, 2004.

Much used be made of the passing of time in the Doherty case.

This was not surprising. The IRA man was behind bars for the entirety of his legal epic, first in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and later, for his final few months, at a federal facility in Pennsylvania.

McAllister, by contrast, has been a free man, though not as free as he would like to be.

The most striking contrast between Doherty's and McAllister's daily lot is for the simplest of reasons.

Doherty was on the run after escaping from a prison in Belfast, hence his imprisonment.

McAllister has been on the run from the streets of Belfast, hence his desire to start over on the streets of New Jersey.

The final lap in the onetime Irish National Liberation Army man's legal marathon unfolds today when oral arguments in his appeal against deportation are scheduled for a federal court in Newark.

Malachy McAllister has been called many things in his life.

The familiar terrorist/freedom fighter combination is well set by now.

At one point he was labeled British by a federal immigration judge, an appellation that caused loud guffaws but carried serious weight in that the designation, if left unchallenged, effectively denied McAllister a chance of pleading for political asylum.

"We had to leave in a hurry. It was an emergency situation and the British passports were more readily available," was McAllister's explanation for the nature of his travel document.

Later, in America, he would apply and secure and Irish passport. Someday, he hopes, there will be an American one to go with it.

The McAllister family's Belfast story took a sharp downward turn in October, 1988 when loyalists fired 26 shots into the family home on the Lower Ormeau Road. Malachy and Bernadette were away. Bernadette's mother was looking after the children. Nobody was injured, but shortly afterward, and having been informed by police that Malachy was on a loyalist death list, the family fled Belfast for Canada.

Their subsequent application for asylum and refugee status in Canada was eventually turned down.

In March, 1996 The McAllisters entered the U.S. through the border checkpoint at Niagara Falls. They were admitted as "nonimmigrant visitors for pleasure." They overstayed their visas.

There was little time for pleasure. After settling in Wallington, N.J., the family applied for political asylum in March, 1997 and began a process of interviews at a nearby INS office.

In October, 1998, Malachy's name was, incredibly, drawn in the annual Schumer diversity visa lottery. But his teenage years INLA past, and its related convictions -- including one for conspiracy to murder reached by a Diplock court -- precluded him from securing a green card.

McAllister had served four years after being convicted in the non-jury court, where he was charged with taking part in what turned out to be a non-fatal INLA attack on an RUC patrol. McAllister was charged with acting as a lookout.

The evidence against McAllister was provided by a so-called "supergrass" witness who later retracted his testimony.

The following year, 1999, the McAllisters learned that their asylum plea had been rejected. They immediately appealed to a federal immigration court.

In October, 2000 Federal immigration judge Henry Dogin ordered that Malachy McAllister be deported, but in a separate ruling decreed that his wife, Bernadette, and the couple's four children be allowed asylum in the U.S.

Malachy McAllister appealed the decision against asylum to the Board of Immigration Appeals, while the U.S. Justice Department, in turn, appealed the decision to grant asylum to his wife and family.

In granting asylum to Bernadette and the children, Dogin ruled that Bernadette McAllister and her children had suffered "severe persecution" at the hands of loyalist paramilitaries, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British army.

Judge Dogin further stated that the McAllisters had suffered "extreme past persecution" and discrimination as a result of being Catholics. He pointed to a "constant campaign of harassment" by loyalists who the British government were unable or unwilling to control.

Dogin also cited incidents of public humiliation, physical abuse and the loyalist gun attack on the family home.

By the end of 2000, meanwhile, the McAllisters were hopeful that the Clinton administration would move to suspend deportation proceedings against the family before President Clinton left office. This did not happen.

The case dragged on into the new century and right through the shock of September 11.

In November, 2003, the Board of Immigration Appeals rejected Malachy McAllister's appeal and turned aside the decision granting asylum to the rest of the family.

As a result, all five McAllisters faced deportation. Attorneys for the family filed a plea for stay of deportation with the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

The following month, Malachy McAllister surrendered at the office of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark. Amid a mounting political furor, he was released pending the decision by the appeals court in Philadelphia.

That court granted motions for stays of removal filed on behalf of Malachy McAllister, his wife, Bernadette, and three of the couple's four children within a matter of weeks. It gave the family a little space and time.

The one question mark was Malachy and Bernadette's son Mark, better known as "Jamie," who had a conviction for passing a controlled substance.

Though he has been on probation and was not required to serve prison time, Jamie McAllister's conviction led to the appeals court denying the motion for a stay of removal filed on his behalf.

The court stated that it did not have jurisdiction as a result of the conviction. Still, the news had been mostly good.

"We now have the needed breathing space," the family's attorney, Eamonn Dornan, said at the time.

"We're dumbfounded. There have been so many high and lows. We're so relieved. It's unbelievable," said Malachy McAllister.

What was clear after the decision was that the McAllisters had been helped enormously by broad based community support and bipartisan political appeals on their behalf.

Another factor that might have played its part was a renewed threat to Malachy McAllister's life from the Red Hand Commandos, the loyalist group that had attacked the family home back in 1988.

The family's joy at their legal reprieve had barely settled when Bernadette was diagnosed with cancer. She died in May of last year leaving her husband and children to carry on the battle for the family's American life.

Amnesty International has launched an online appeal asking peopleworldwide to write to senior UK judges, urging that neither they norother judges sit on any public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005into the murder of Belfast lawyer Patrick Finucane.

An inquiry under the 2005 Act, railroaded through Parliament on thelast possible day before it was dissolved for the election, would lackindependence and be largely controlled by the executive, says AmnestyInternational.

The final report of any inquiry under the Act would be published atthe executive's discretion and crucial evidence could be omitted atthe executive's discretion, "in the public interest.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

"Any judge presiding over an inquiry into the Finucane murder underthe Inquiries Act 2005 would be presiding over a sham. We urge judgesnot to sit on any such inquiry.

"By rushing through this Act, the government has placed itself beyondpublic scrutiny and dealt a massive blow to any hopes of transparencyin government.

"Under the Inquiries Act 2005, there will be no more independent,public inquiries like those into the Ladbroke Grove train crash, themurder of Stephen Lawrence or the tragedy at Hillsborough.

"The government will be able to control what the public finds out, andwhat it doesn't."

Patrick Finucane, an outspoken human rights lawyer, was shot dead inhis home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 12 February 1989 by Loyalistparamilitaries.

In the aftermath of his killing, prima facie evidence of criminalconduct by police and military intelligence agents acting in collusionwith Loyalist paramilitaries in his murder emerged.

In addition, allegations have emerged of a subsequent cover-up bydifferent government agencies and authorities.

In April 2004, an independent report, commissioned by the UK and Irishgovernments concluded that "only a public inquiry will suffice" inPatrick Finucane's case.

Geraldine Finucane, Patrick Finucane's widow, has called on all seniorjudges in England, Wales and Scotland not to serve on an inquiry intoher husband's case held under the new legislation.

Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to establish a trulyindependent judicial inquiry into collusion by state agents withLoyalist paramilitaries in Patrick Finucane's murder; into reportsthat his killing was the result of state policy; and into allegationsthat different government authorities played a part in the subsequentcover-up of collusion in his murder.

The appeal asks supporters to write to Lord Bingham, Senior Law Lord;Lord Woolf, Lord Chief Justice; and Lord Cullen, Lord President of theSupreme Court in Scotland, urging that neither they nor other judgesin their jurisdiction sit on an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005.

Appeals will also be sent to the heads of the judiciary in countrieswith a common law system who might also be approached to sit on suchan inquiry, such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the USA,South Africa, Sri Lanka and India.

Under the Inquiries Act 2005:

the inquiry and its terms of reference would be decided by theexecutive; no independent parliamentary scrutiny of these decisionswould be allowed

the chair of the inquiry would be appointed by the executive and theexecutive would have the discretion to dismiss any member of theinquiry

the decision on whether the inquiry, or any individual hearings, wouldbe held in public or private would be taken by the executive

the decision to issue restrictive notices to block disclosure ofevidence would be taken by the executive

Lord Saville of Newdigate, the chair of the Bloody Sunday Tribunal ofInquiry, pointed out that the Inquiries Act 2005 "makes a very seriousinroad into the independence of any inquiry; and is likely to damageor destroy public confidence in the inquiry and its findings".

Lord Saville also said:

"As a Judge, I must tell you that I would not be prepared to beappointed as a member of an inquiry that was subject to a provision ofthis kind."----

Take action - write an appeal to senior UK judges...

You can copy and paste this sample letter into an e-mail or a documentto print out. If you are planning to write your own appeal please readour letter writing guide.

I am writing to express my concern over the UK government's statedintention to hold an inquiry into Patrick Finucane's case under theInquiries Act 2005.

As you may know, more than 16 years after the killing of PatrickFinucane -- an outspoken human rights lawyer -- by Loyalistparamilitaries with the alleged collusion of police and militaryagents, the UK government continues to refuse to hold a trulyindependent public inquiry into these allegations. The Inquiries Act2005 empowers the UK authorities to block public scrutiny of stateactions and undermines the independence of the judiciary. Any inquiryheld under such legislation would fall far short of internationalhuman rights standards. Amnesty International considers that anyjudge sitting on such an inquiry would be presiding over a sham.

Geraldine Finucane, Patrick Finucane's widow, has recently called onall senior judges in England, Wales and Scotland not to serve on aninquiry into her husband's case held under this new legislation.

In light of the above, I urge you to ensure that all members of thejudiciary in your jurisdiction are made aware of these extremelyserious concerns.

Amnesty International is urging those members of the judiciary who maybe approached by the UK authorities to sit on an inquiry into theFinucane case held under the Inquiries Act 2005 to decline to do so.

I thank you in advance for your urgent attention to the concernsexpressed in this letter.

Relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims yesterday called on Col TimCollins to give evidence to the Saville inquiry after he claimed thata rifle used in the shootings had been recovered in Sierra Leone.

According to Col Collins, the rifle was found in 2000 when he was anSAS operations officer on a mission to rescue a group of Britishsoldiers held hostage by the notorious West Side Boys.

In his new autobiography, Rules of Engagment, Col Collins claimed thatthe Saville inquiry, set up in 1999 into the killing of 13 civiliansin Londonderry by the British Army, had been told the weapon had beendestroyed.

The rifles used in the 1972 shootings were seen as important pieces ofevidence by the investigation.

Col Collins said colleagues in the 1st Bn Parachute Regiment took tworifles from Sierra Leone as souvenirs. It was only when the serialnumbers were examined that it was discovered one of them was used onBloody Sunday and the Saville inquiry had been told it had beendestroyed.

Yesterday Col Collins said: "It is the sort of anecdote that I hadsecond hand. It is probably true but I don't have any firm evidence."

John Kelly, who lost his 17-year-old brother Michael on Bloody Sunday,said Col Collins should give evidence to the inquiry following hisclaims. "It is an important piece of evidence. It could be a murderweapon as far as we are concerned," he said.

A spokesman for the Saville inquiry said the rifle issue had beenlooked into and they were "not presently minded" to call Col Collins.

The political counter-offensive was launched earlier this week whenAlex Attwood of the moderate nationalist Social and Democratic LaborParty answered attacks by the Democratic Unionist Party of NorthernIreland`s Protestant majority.

The Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, claimed that crime was soaringsince the police structure was reformed, the Belfast News-Letterreported

"The Special Branch of the old Royal Ulster Constabulary is no moreand a new system of intelligence gathering is in place which complieswith human rights standards, conforms with best international practiceand has seen a significant number of agents deactivated," Attwoodsaid.

"This was essential to have proper standards of intelligence gatheringand to building confidence in the new police service," he said.

Attwood said the DUP critics of the reformed police "have little tosay when crime figures are reducing. They say little about thesuccesses of intelligence-led policing which no doubt includes theclosing down of fuel smuggling plants, and extortion racket in northBelfast in the last two weeks and other policing operations."

"It is what we want, it is what the families want. It will be inaccordance with the law and hopefully we will see some developments inthe near future."

Mr Orde was speaking afte a public meeting of the Policing Board inDerry at which Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid revealed that 151statements had been received, 25 houses searched and 80 hours of CCTVfootage seized for examination.

Mr Kincaid disclosed that 10 people had provided signed statementsthrough the offices of the police ombudsman, and the ombudsman hadcontacted the PSNI again in recent days to say that men arrested andquestioned about the murder all had remained silent duringinterrogation.

He said the police service was still of the opinion that members ofthe Provisional IRA were involved in the brutal murder but officersdid not believe it was sanctioned by the IRA. He said there was clearevidence of a forensic clean-up after the killing.

Mr McCartney, 33, from the Short Strand area of Belfast, was stabbedto death after being dragged from a Belfast city-centre bar at the endof January.

Yesterday police arrested two men, both from the nearby Markets area.

One, a 49 year old, was detained in Belfast while the other, aged 36,was seized by armed officers at a bedsit in Birmingham and draggedaway wearing just his boxer shorts.

The Government and Garda Commissioner will urgently examine the futureof officers implicated in the latest damning Morris Tribunal report,Finance Minister Brian Cowen said today.

Judge Frederick Morris's inquiry into the 1996 death of Donegal cattledealer Richie Barron found the garda investigation was "prejudiced,tendentious and utterly negligent in the highest degree".

As senior officers said they fully accepted the findings ofyesterday's report, Mr Cowen, who was deputising for Taoiseach BertieAhern in the Dáil, described the publication as "very disturbing,deeply troubling and shocking".

He said the Government and the Justice Minister took the most seriousview of the second report.

"The Minister for Justice and the Government accept the findings ofthe report and will act on it," he said.

"The Government and the Commissioner will now urgently examine theimplications of the findings of this report for individual officers."

The Morris report strongly criticised at least 10 gardaí and detaileda trail of mistakes and lies committed by officers which prevented theinvestigation reaching a successful conclusion.

The judge found that gardaí were "consumed" with the idea thatpublican Frank McBrearty Jnr and his cousin Mark McConnell were guiltyof the murder of Mr Barron and tried to frame them.

A debate on the first and second interim reports will be held in theDail and Seanad later this month.

After last summer's first report, Superintendent Kevin Lennon wassacked while another superintendent and a chief superintendentretired.

The Garda Commissioner also dismissed a number of gardaí.

Mr Cowen added that substantial reforms were contained in the GardaSiochana Bill, including an independent Ombudsman Commission toinvestigate complaints and an Inspectorate to report on theeffectiveness of the force.

A special committee, headed by Senator Maurice Hayes will oversee theimplementation of the Bill when enacted.

The Commissioner will also soon unveil a comprehensive package ofmanagement reform within the force, Mr Cowen said.

The minister added: "We've all been let down badly by the behaviour ofa number of gardai in Donegal. The vast majority of men and women inthe Garda Siochana who give loyal and dedicated service will beshocked and disappointed.

"It is difficult to overstate the disservice done to the ordinarydecent gardai by the shocking misconduct outlined in this report."

Mr McDowell will give his full response to the report when the debatetakes place later this month.

He called on Mr McDowell and his predecessor John O'Donoghue to saywhy they refused public inquiries and ongoing legal aid to theMcBrearty family.

Mr Kenny paid tribute to politicians Jim Higgins and Brendan Howlinwho stood up against a "ferocious onslaught" to pursue the truththrough Dail questions on the matter.

"The integrity of the force should be beyond question and it shouldhave the trust of the country. It's a shame that the Morris reportpoints clearly at a rottenness at its core," he said.

"Sadly, this report diminishes all those who have given outstandingservice and public duty to the country."

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte claimed that Mr McDowell had "opposed toothand nail" the set-up of the Morris Tribunal in the Dáil.

He recalled that Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy had recently describedthe Barron investigation as "thorough and efficient".

"That kind of thing should profoundly disturb this House," he added.

He called for a Patten-style Commission to examine policing in theRepublic.

"Unaccountable power is a very dangerous thing and there is nothing inthe Garda Siochana Bill that will address that," he concluded.

Green Party chairman John Gormley said that Mr McBrearty, who spoke atthe party's recent conference, was "ruthlessy and viciously framed bythe gardai".

"Their [McBrearty family] lives were made a hell. If it were not forthe tenacity of the McBrearty family or Jim Higgins or Brendan Howlin,these issues would never have come to light," he said.

"Mr McDowell has successfully spun his way through his ministry andsome people believe he is doing a good job. I don't believe he isdoing a good job."

Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris said the Morris findings were shocking butnot surprising and reiterated his party's calls for a probe into thedeath of former Donegal councillor Eddie Fullerton.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said many of itsmembers were dismayed by the web of deceit, negligence and humantragedy uncovered by the Tribunal.

AGSI general secretary Pat Flynn said the findings had been fullyaccepted and that senior officers were digesting the shocking details.

"We welcome the Morris Tribunal report and feel that it is a reportthat could do An Garda Siochana a lot of good in the long term ifproper measures are taken to ensure that these sort of mistakes don'thappen again," Mr Flynn said.

He said the AGSI had put itself forward to garda management and theJustice Minister to work together to ensure scandals which swamped theDonegal division in the 1990s could not be repeated.

"It is down to the Association in conjunction with garda managementand the minister to try to ensure that this type of incident does nothappen again," he said.

The report is due to be discussed at the AGSI executive meeting nextweek.

(Poster's Note: Just a note to bring you up to date on my wife'scondition & our travel plans.

Sunday will mark two months since she was involved in anauto/pedestrian accident. She has been out of the hospital about 5weeks. She has successfully completed her physical training regiment;she has returned to work (part time) to prepare for next the start ofthe next school year. Her stamina is slowly increasing.

We are leaving for Ireland on Sunday, June 5th and will return onFriday, July 1st. Of course that means I won't be able to make regularnews postings. However, the trip will be over too soon and we willreturn.

Again, thank you all for your kind thoughts, prayers & emails. I havereturned the thoughts & prayers, but I am afraid I am hopelesslybehind in the email department. Jay)

Shocking claims by former Army leader Tim Collins that his troopsrecovered a rifle in Africa that had been used on Bloody Sunday butwas declared destroyed by the Ministry of Defence a year earlier, drewcalls today for a full investigation of the matter.

John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was one of the 13civilians shot dead by the Parachute Regiment on the day, wasextremely startled to learn of the revelations when contacted by theBelfast Telegraph.

Massive questions have been raised about the Ministry of Defence'sparticipation in the Saville Inquiry in light of the claims, accordingto Mr Kelly.

In his just published book, Rules of Engagement, Belfast-born ColonelCollins tells how his troops recovered the rifle from a terroristgroup in Sierra Leone in September 2000.

The SLR was one of two weapons the Army "deactivated as souvenirs" oftheir ambush operation.

In a footnote to the incident he says: "The rifles were old BritishArmy self-loading rifles.

"It was only when they were back to the UK that it was discovered fromthe serial numbers that one of the rifles was actually an old 1 Pararifle.

"It was used on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972 when 13protesters had been shot - and it had been declared destroyed when theSaville Inquiry into the shootings had asked for it."

The Saville Inquiry in 1999 was told that 14 rifles of the 29originally presented to the original Widgery Inquiry into BloodySunday, had been destroyed, while 10 had been sold.

Colonel Collins, who was cleared of war crimes allegations two yearsago, made headlines for his rousing speech to the Royal Irish Regimentbefore they entered into battle in Iraq in 2003.

The 44-year-old drew praise from Prince Charles and President George WBush, who was believed to have requested a copy of the speech for thewall of the Oval Office.

John Kelly has called for the Saville Inquiry, which is currentlypreparing its final report, to confront the MoD about the claims.

"If this is one of the rifles used in Bloody Sunday then it is vitalevidence. It could be one of the murder weapons," he said.

"Are the MoD lying? Somebody is lying.

"If Tim Collins has proof of this then he should make himselfavailable to the inquiry," he said.

U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss has said that theBritish government's spying organization, MI5, have told him that theyare prepared to hand over all their documents on the controversialkilling of human rights attorney Pat Finucane.

The announcement could be a huge boost for the Finucane family, whohave battled since 1989 for British government cooperation.

Speaking at a congressional hearing on Northern Ireland last week,Reiss said that he had been speaking with the head of MI5 and he hadbeen assured that the organization would hand over all relevantdocuments to an upcoming tribunal investigation the killing.

The Finucane family and campaigners have long argued that the Britishgovernment targeted Finucane for assassination because he hadsuccessfully defended suspected IRA members on trial.

In a secretly taped conversation between a BBC journalist and aFinucane's killer, the killer revealed that there had been policecollusion in the killing.

Reiss said that the Director General of MI5, Eliza Manningham-Butler,personally assured him that all relevant MI5 information would bepassed on for the upcoming tribunal.

He asked her is he could tell the committee about her decision and shesaid that he could. However, she expressed some concern that theidentity of agents or sources should not be compromised.

Reiss said he has already told government agencies that the visadenial should be a "once off" and was "bad policy" is it was done forpolitical reasons.

He praised O'Hare's work in the U.S. and said he hoped that she wouldbe able to continue doing her job.

Reiss made his comments before the International Relations Committee,which sat last week to hear an update on the Northern Ireland peaceprocess.

His statements followed a question by New York Congressman EliotEngel, who said that denying O'Hare a visa made no sense and that hewanted to register his "extreme displeasure" at the decision.

Two weeks ago, it emerged that O'Hare was temporarily denied a visaafter she applied to travel to Florida to visit businessman BillFlynn, who has been heavily involved in the peace process.

Reiss said that there were restraints on his ability to answer aquestion about an individual visa decision, but he said it was "badpolicy" to deny Ms O'Hare a visa for policy reasons.

He said he was already expressed his concern to government agenciesand he hoped it would not become a precedent.

He also warned that some Unionists could get involved in "provocativebehaviour" if the IRA makes a statement announcing that it willdisband later this year.

He said that he was concerned that any such behaviour could worsen thepolitical situation and drive the Republican community back towardsthe IRA.

Asked by Florida Congressman Robert Wexler, about hardline statementsbeing made by Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, Reiss saidthat he had heard very encouraging words from Paisley when he was notbefore the "cameras and microphones" of the media.

Wexler said he was concerned about quotes in the Washington Timesnewspaper from a hardline Protestant politician who said it would begenerations before a settlement could be reached.

Reiss said these were Paisley's words and that they were said in frontof TV cameras outside the British prime minister's residence. He saidthat Paisley seemed much more accommodating and ready to negotiatewhen speaking in private.

Reiss also said that the sisters of murdered Belfast man RobertMcCartney had told him that they were threatened and told they wouldbe burned out of their homes.

Reiss made his comments after New York Congressman Peter King, saidthat the IRA did not sanction the murder but its members may have beeninvolved in a cover-up afterwards.

McCartney's killing last January led to huge protests against the IRAafter it emerged that some of its members had murdered McCartney, aRepublican supporter, and that some of its members had been involvedin covering up the evidence.

Congressman King, a close ally of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams,added that the killing was a pub dispute that could have happened inany city in America. He also welcomed signs that the IRA is about todisband but expressed concern about possible Unionist provocation ifsuch a statement was released.

Relatives of those killed in the 1970s bombings of Dublin and Monaghanby loyalists allegedly working for British agents are meeting the headof a probe into the Garda investigation of the case.

Members of the Dublin-based Justice for the Forgotten pressure groupare to meet the chairman of a new commission of inquiry, PatrickMcEntee QC, later today, as questions continue to be raised about theGarda's investigation of a string of loyalist-connected bombingsbetween 1972 and 1974 which left 37 people dead and hundreds injured.

Mr McEntee is to investigate why a number of sightings of Britishsoldiers and figures linked to the mid-Ulster UVF in Dublin did notproduce results for detectives, as well as issues surrounding thedisappearance of a number of key documents. Nobody was ever chargedwith the atrocities and Margaret Urwin from the relatives' group saidshe would be pushing for a full and transparent inquiry. "We have alot of difficulties with this because it seems that it is a privateinquiry and is limited in its terms of reference and we are talkingwith Mr McEntee to see how he intends to conduct his inquiry," shesaid.

"We are hoping that he is going to hold the maximum number of hearingspossible in public.

"We are also asking that he allows the families legal representation,as the Taoiseach said in the Dail that he would look favourably onwhat Mr McEntee might request.

"We will be asking if the material submitted to the inquiry will bemade public or just his conclusions.

"What we would like is for the Irish and British governments to set upa joint inquiry to look at all the aspects."

Mr McEntee's terms of reference involve investigating the scope of theGarda inquiry and whether more could have been done. He has beencharged with looking at three separate lines of police inquiry, intosightings of loyalist sympathisers and British soldiers in Dublinprior to the 1974 bombings.

The European Court of Human Rights is to carry out an investigationinto the Dublin Monaghan bombings in 1974 which 33 people were killed.

The court will examine claims that British agents collaborated withLoyalist terrorists in carrying out the atrocities, the worst in thehistory of the Troubles.

The inquiry into the role of British intelligence is to begin nextmonth, over 30 years after the bombings. The British are longsuspected of aiding those who carried out the atrocity.

Thirty-three people were killed and over 250 people were injured whenthree car bombs exploded without warning in Dublin and a fourth inMonaghan on May 17, 1974.

The bombings were blamed on a unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force knownto have links with the security forces' intelligence agents. No onehas ever been charged with the killings.

There has been ongoing concern at the failure of the Britishgovernment to come clean about the atrocity.

Earlier this year the head of the Dail (Parliament) committeeinvestigating the Dublin and Monaghan bombings hit out at the Britishgovernment for their refusal to cooperate with the inquiry.

The committee chairman, Fianna Fail TD Sean Ardagh, criticized theBritish authorities for failing to hold a formal inquiry of their owninto allegations of British collusion in the bombings when requestedto do so by the Irish government.

He also said he was "not impressed at all" with the failure of theBritish authorities to cooperate with the subcommittee or with JusticeHenry Barron, who compiled a report into the bombings which waspublished last year.

The families of those who died have long campaigned for a properinvestigation into the role of British agents in the affair.

Monica Duffy-Campbell, whose husband Tommy Duffy died in the bombing,told the Dail committee earlier this year, "I will believe until theday I die that the British government or British agents were involvedin the death of my husband

"The British government is supposedly a friendly nation. We are not atwar with it. Why have they decided to stand totally back from this andnot give any answers? What have they got to hide?"

Monica had a young daughter and was four months pregnant when herhusband was killed.

The distraught family of a murdered Catholic girl have met thepolitical spokesman for a political group linked to the proscribedLoyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, agreed to meetLisa Dorrian's family in a bid to help them find the body of theirmissing daughter.

Despite having all the ingredients of a red-hot newspaper story — themurder of a beautiful young woman, drug dealers, paramilitaries,searches carried out by helicopter, airplane and police sea divers —the killing of Lisa Dorrian has never been given the same prominenceas other killings.

Lisa, 25, disappeared three months ago after attending a party in amobile home at a caravan site at Ballyhalbert on the north Co. Downcoast. Police acknowledge that she was murdered, although her body hasnever been found.

Shortly after the killing, graffiti appeared on several walls in thearea claiming she had been murdered by the volatile paramilitaryfaction, the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF).

The LVF, which broke away from the UVF over support for the GoodFriday Agreement, is claimed by police to be heavily involved in drugdealing and racketeering.

The Dorrian family's hopes of finding Lisa's body rose following atelevision current affairs program in which Ervine revealed that theUVF was carrying out its own investigation into the killing. Duringthe program, Ervine said he feared Loyalists would take the law intotheir own hands "unless the police caught the killers."

Ervine later said he had recently attended two meetings which had"shed more light" on Lisa's disappearance, and offered to share anyinformation he received with her family and the police. The PUP leaderdescribed the circumstances surrounding the murder as "a cesspit."

Following the meeting with Ervine, Lisa's uncle, Terry Dorrian, saidthe family would meet with anyone who could help them find her body.He asked that people should hope and pray that "this is the last timea young girl's life is taken for no reason."

Ervine, he said, had insisted that he had no political agenda and hisinvolvement was a humanitarian bid to help the family.

Three men have been arrested and questioned about the killing but werereleased. The Dorrian family has put up £10,000 of their savings as areward for information leading to the recovery of Lisa's body.

New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who has fought for years forfair employment practices in the North, says he is now ready to investcapital there.

Hevesi, comptroller of New York State's $140 billion retirement fund,has always been a strong campaigner for the abolition ofdiscrimination in employment practices in the North where Catholicswere often excluded from skilled jobs.

But now, Hevesi says, the gap between Protestant and Catholicemployment figures was closing and enough progress had been madethrough the Irish peace process to permit him to carry out a promiseto invest in the North.

Hevesi, however, indicated on Tuesday that the $7 million for businessdevelopment was not simply based on compassionate grounds, and hewould be expecting a return on the retirement fund's investment.

While the $7 million (£3.75 million) figure is impressive by localstandards, it could result in even more investment by other U.S.companies following the lead given by Hevesi, who was heavily involvedin Northern Irish affairs during his time as New York Citycomptroller.

The cash injection will aid small technology companies and forms partof a £22.5 million venture capital fund administered by CrescentCapital II, a Belfast-based equity fund sponsored by Invest NorthernIreland.

Explaining why he now felt free to launch the investment in the Northafter years of seeking equality of employment there, Hevesi said, "Theinvestment climate in Northern Ireland is much more favorable today,thanks to the ongoing peace process. As a result, the region nowpresents an attractive opportunity for the New York pension fund toobtain a meaningful return on investment for the fund's 971,000members while creating jobs and prosperity in Northern Ireland."

"Northern Ireland represents tremendous opportunities for growth andprosperity, regardless of religious, political or any otheraffiliation. We are investing in Crescent Capital II because the fundrepresents an excellent opportunity, with the potential to create newjobs and economic prosperity for all communities by providing localtechnology companies with much-needed capital so they can grow andthrive here in Northern Ireland."

"I anticipate a competitive return for the New York Retirement Fund,"he added.

Nationalist politicians from the SDLP and Sinn Fein were present forHevesi's announcement in Belfast on Tuesday, but no Unionistsattended. The Irish Voice, however, understands that Hevesi spoke toUnionist representatives afterwards.

Police were continuing to question two men today about the murder ofRobert McCartney.

The men - arrested yesterday in Belfast and Birmingham - were facing asecond day of interviews by detectives at the PSNI holding centre inAntrim.

The men, aged 36 and 49, can be held until early Saturday morning. Bythat stage police will have to charge, release or - depending on thelegislation they are held under - apply to a court for more time toquestion them.

Both men are understood to come from the Markets area of Belfast, thedistrict adjacent to the bar where Mr McCartney and another man,Brendan Devine, were attacked by IRA members four months ago.

The 33-year-old father of two was stabbed outside Magennis's WhiskyCafe on January 30. He died the next day.

The older of the two men being questioned was arrested by the PSNI inBelfast.

The younger man was arrested by West Midlands Police in Birmingham.Witnesses said he was wearing just his boxer shorts when armed policeburst in to his second floor bedsit in the Stechford area of the city.

He was then led barefoot to a waiting police car in Victoria Road andflown back to Northern Ireland for questioning by a team ofdetectives.

The Government's decision to give a controversial £200m development atSprucefield the green light last night caused a major rift withinUlster's business community and political parties.

While Environment Minister Jeff Rooker hailed it as the right decisionwhich was "in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland",the opinion of political and business representatives was divided.

DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson described it as a "good newsstory for Northern Ireland", but his party colleague, Belfast LordMayor Wallace Browne, said: "It undermines our efforts to revitalisethe city centres of Belfast and Lisburn."

Opinion was also divided within the SDLP. Lagan Valley MLA PatriciaLewsley welcomed the news, while Dr Alasdair McDonnell described it asa "body blow to retail confidence in Belfast".

Within the business community, Lisburn's economic developmentcommittee described the move as "positive" while the Belfast Chamberof Trade and Commerce described it as a "wholly inappropriatedevelopment".

What's in store at £200m centre

The controversial £200m development at Sprucefield which will includethe first John Lewis store in Northern Ireland was given the go-aheadyesterday, with the promise of 2,000 jobs as well as more choice forshoppers.

Announcing the decision to grant planning permission, EnvironmentMinister Jeff Rooker said it was "in the best interests of the peopleof Northern Ireland".

And last night, John Lewis' director of retail operations, GarethThomas, welcomed the news.

He said: "We believe that the decision represents good news for thewhole of Northern Ireland and will secure substantial economicinvestment and jobs for the province.

"We are also confident that our first department store on the islandof Ireland will complement the additional major retail developmentcurrently under way in Belfast city centre and will greatly enhancethe overall retail offering of Northern Ireland.

"We can assure all concerned that John Lewis is intending to investheavily in the long-term economic future of Northern Ireland as awhole and believe our department store at Sprucefield can play animportant part in helping reverse the well-documented leakage ofretail spend out of the province.

"It also has the potential to attract significant trade from across NIand the Republic of Ireland to the whole area.

"There is a strong tradition of customers from Northern Irelandvisiting our other department stores, so we are excited with theprospect of providing them with a John Lewis in the province."

With the promise of social and economic benefits for Northern Ireland,the decision to grant planning permission for the controversialSprucefield extension has been hailed by many as "good news forNorthern Ireland".

DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he was "absolutelydelighted" by the move.

He said: "This is a good news story for Lisburn and a good news storyfor Northern Ireland.

"Some seem to think that this was a matter of competition betweenBelfast and Lisburn. Really it wasn't - there was only one location inNorthern Ireland that John Lewis were interested in and that was atSprucefield.

"The real competition here was with the Republic. It opens up theprospect now of attracting significant numbers of shoppers across theborder into Northern Ireland."

The chairman of Lisburn's economic development dommittee, CouncillorEdwin Poots, described it as a "positive decision".

The DUP MLA said: "This development will turn the situation around inNorthern Ireland where consumers from the Republic and across theUnited Kingdom will travel to do their shopping in Northern Ireland.

"It is a tremendous victory. Having secured this decision, I would behopeful that self centred parochialism would not cloud the views ofindividuals on what is a good news story for Northern Ireland."

Ulster Unionist MLA for Lagan Valley Billy Bell said the decisionconfirmed Lisburn's position at the heart of the Northern Irelandeconomy.

He said: "It was an entirely logical decision and confirms Lisburn'srole as the enterprise capital of Northern Ireland."

Lisburn Ulster Unionist councillor Basil McCrea said: "It's fantasticnews economically for the Lisburn area and will ensure that, as aretail centre, Sprucefield can only go from strength to strength."

The SDLP's Lagan Valley MLA Patricia Lewsley welcomed the decision butwarned of the major challenges it presents.

She said: "John Lewis will be the anchor tenant in the new retail parkand has the capacity to pull trade from all over the north and indeedthe south.

"But in order to create footfall, the development at Sprucefield is tohave 29 other retail tenants and their impact will be quite different.These smaller retailers are likely to pull trade directly out ofLisburn City Centre.

"There is a great challenge here for Lisburn City Council to workclosely with the traders to ensure balanced regeneration of the wholeof the city and prevent any danger of gradual decline."

He said: "Sinn Féin are aware of the clear benefits of suchdevelopments but have also been consistent in voicing our concernsabout the impact of out-of-town shopping.

"I's vital that there is a clear framework in which decisions such asthis are made and that they're based on the need to ensure widereconomic benefits."

NO

'Decision comes when the retail sector in Belfast needs investment'

The Government's decision to give the green light to the Sprucefielddevelopment was last night met with fierce criticism with Belfast CityCentre Management and Belfast Chamber of Trade vowing to consult withlegal teams to investigate challenging the move.

Reacting angrily to the announcement, Joanne Jennings, Belfast CityCentre manager, described Lord Rooker's decision as having "no basisin current planning policy at a Northern Ireland or UK level".

She said: "The statement issued by the Minister is franklyunbelievable.

"Lord Rooker, who has barely arrived in Northern Ireland, is tellingus that this development is in the best interests of the people ofNorthern Ireland."

Ms Jennings said Lord Rooker has ignored Government policy and therecently-published BMAP proposals.

Dave Pennick, senior vice president of Belfast Chamber of Trade &Commerce, said: "This is a wholly inappropriate development which isnot in anybody's best interests, except those of John Lewis.

"It would not happen anywhere else in the UK or Ireland."

The Federation of Small Businesses also expressed disappointment atthe decision.

John Friel, FSB regional chairman, said: "Once again the Governmenthave ignored the views and concerns of small business owners by givingthe green light for John Lewis at Sprucefield. While we acknowledgethat it will bring jobs for some, it will also cost many more jobs andforce many small retailers to close in Belfast and other surroundingtowns.

"If the Government is serious about wanting small businesses to be thebackbone of our economy, it must call a moratorium on the building ofany more out of town shopping centres."

Belfast Lord Mayor Wallace Browne said he was deeply concerned at thedecision as it was not in keeping with regional development strategyand BMAP.

He added: "It undermines our efforts to revitalise the city centres ofBelfast and Lisburn which are now only starting to recover after 30years of difficult times. This decision will set us back enormously."

He said Belfast and Lisburn retailers would meet to consider whataction to take.

SDLP MP Alasdair McDonnell said the decision was a "body blow" toretail confidence in Belfast.

He said: "The Minister's decision comes at a time when the retailsector in Belfast city centre really does need further investment fromprivate sector developers and support from the Government.

"High street retailers are experiencing a dip in consumer spendingmeanwhile Government ministers are forcing through controversial plansthat will only serve to damage business confidence in the city."

Editor's note: Joan P.H. Myers is president and chief executiveofficer of the North Carolina Technology Association. Myers is a 2004-2005 Eisenhower Fellow, and studied Cyber Security and Cyber Terrorismin Ireland.----

RALEIGH - I recently had an opportunity to spend quite a bit of timein Ireland. I had been awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship and went tostudy cyber security and cyber terrorism.

To pursue my topic I met with a host of technology companies. Inaddition, meetings with many other companies and leaders were includedto fill out the context of my topic.

But to understand cyber backbones and the various layers of cybersecurity, one must delve into the growth and expansion of thetechnologies industry in the country and understand the factors thatled to the accelerated change.

Joan P.H. Myers

What was the secret of the Celtic Tiger?

What had transformed this nation from a country of out migration tonow the third wealthiest nation on the globe?

As I began my studies I was enthusiastic to lay this context and delveinto the secrets of the knowledge industry explosion in Ireland.

Quality of Life? Not

Not being an economic developer, I approached this from how we heraldour strengths in North Carolina. So first I would start with qualityof life. I've really never understood how you package your greatestselling point as "quality of life" to a corporate community. Youcan't really pay your mortgage with "quality of life," but then again,that is taking it to an extreme. I guess if I was a CEO of a majorcorporation I would need to evaluate if I would be able to move a toptier of leadership and managers to a site to begin operations. Iguess this is where quality of life fits in.

Now I was always taught that you make a move in business based on yourbest opportunity for professional growth and what is in the bestinterest of your family. So I looked around at quality of life andcame to the immediate conclusion that this was not the main sellingpoint in Ireland. Unlike many of the vacation brochures I had seendepicting a sunny, sparkling "emerald isle" I did not see the sun intwo weeks.

Dublin and the region around it where many of the tech companies arebased, is extremely expensive. Housing costs are through the roof,traffic is an increasing issue, and food, fuel and entertainment arecostly too. They do have some lovely golf courses, but 9 out of 10times you would be teeing up under a nice Irish Mist or "cloud" as itis often called. I took "quality of life" off the list.

So what was it that boomed this economy?

Next I looked at incentive packages. Where were the super -dupermega deals carefully crafted to fit a single companies needs? I didnot come across any. Maybe I need a special clearance to learn thesesecrets?

So what made the Celtic Tiger roar? What secrets fueled this economicexpansion and spread the seeds of innovation and opportunity?

Finally, I came out and asked. Over, and over the answer was givento me in plain, straight forward English… with a lilt.

In the early 90"s Irish business and public sector leaders looked atways to stabilize and diversify their economy. They were plaguedwith many of the same issues North Carolina faces. A concentratedurban population and a significant rural population, fiercecompetition from its European neighbors, jobs moving out of old lineindustry. Their solution was historic. They did not consider anincremental approach. They laid out a bold leap and courageouslyimplemented new policy that catapulted them into the 21st century.

What was the secret? What was the magic?

Secret Sauce, Ingredient I: Tax Policy

They dramatically cut their tax rate on foreign investment. At thetime, the corporate tax rate in Ireland was around 40 percent. Theycut their tax rate to around 12 percent for foreign investment,essentially un-leveling the playing field significantly across all ofEurope and the British Isles.

It worked. Boy did it work.

IBM went from around 400 employees to 4,000, Symantec, Intel,Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard all created significant operations and theTiger caught its stride.

Around these giants came small entrepreneurial local ventures too.Many of the small companies that boomed at the end of the 90'ssuffered or became extinct in the economic downtown of the last fewyears. However, the talent was absorbed and the entrepreneurs aregaining ground again.

The point that was drummed into me was that these initial policieswere not a "ratchet down" of tax rate, a "point or two" in percentage.This was a bold and dramatic shift. It registered on the global radarand the results were huge.

Becoming part of the European Union brought new challenges andopportunities, but once again the leadership in Ireland executed abold approach. When faced with pressures to not allow furtherreductions in outside investment tax rates, Ireland moved down theirin country corporate tax rate and the fuel of that change is nowbeginning to have its affect.

More Than Tax Policy

So tax policy created the Tiger but what made it roar? What otherelements led to this transformative change?

Smart young people were and are the voice of the Tiger. A strongemphasis on STEM education, science, technology, engineering and mathhas helped create a cadre of young, digital workers that are the keyingredient for any knowledge-based company to site, grow and expand.

Clearly, Ireland faces many of the challenges North Carolina does inthe education realm. They struggle with a high drop out rate in theirsecondary education (analogous to high school) especially in theirrural areas. But there is a strong push here to pursue education andtheir program offerings are significant in all areas that feed intothe economic chain. Classes for "part time learners," e-learninginitiatives, continuing education, and out reach to "school leavers"(drop outs) are just some of the programs that complement a strongUniversity climate.

When asking the 20 somethings what they did now and what they studiedin school, many noted that they studied "computers or engineering evenif they did not contemplate fully at the time that area as a careerchoice. Why I asked? Because that is the future, that's what youneed to know right?"

I had the special opportunity to visit a "secondary school" inNorthern Ireland and hear a lecture from the Nobel Poet Laureate,Seamus Heaney. Interestingly, this school, a high school in ourterms, has had two Noble Prize winners. Knowing this, I was veryinterested in finding out what made these young people "tick." So Italked to the young men before the program. What made them different?

The first told me he was 16 ½ - almost 17. School was "good" hereally liked sports, had an ipod and when I asked him about computersand technology he said it was just part of life. He did not know whathe would do career-wise yet, but would probably be in business.

Seamus Heaney spoke to the importance of the classics and the patternsthey reveal. He wove modern experiences, his poetry, The Troubles,verse from Frost and other poets, 9/11 and opportunities for thefuture into an inspiring and fascinating hour. He spoke not to theaudience of dignitaries and alumnus. He spoke to the kids.

It struck me how important it was for leaders from all walks of lifeand endeavor to get into schools and share experiences. In parallel,in almost every technology company I visited, they noted theircommitment and contributions to education. The companies wereinvolved in community efforts, the University and various projects andinitiatives that would help shape the next workforce generation.

The answer to the roar of the Celtic Tiger was tax policy andeducation. But perhaps the biggest lesson was bold leadership andengagement. In almost every meeting I had, leaders were focused onthe pressing issues of the day, but clearly looking at the issues onthe horizon.

How will they embrace and benefit from increasing globalization? Howdo they encourage more science, technology and math education? Howdo they grapple with infrastructure issues?

There seemed to be a consensus that bold ideas will need to be in playagain to stay competitive. But at the same time, boldness and desirefor change seem to be imbued qualities of the Tiger… Perhaps we canlearn a little from its roar.----

Joan P.H. Myers is President & CEO of NCTA, the leading North Carolinatechnology advocacy organization. For more information, please visit:http://www.nc-tech.org ******************************************

WALTHAM -- Known for his no-nonsense ways of firefighting and his lovefor Irish song, former Fire Chief Joseph Steede is remembered bylongtime friends and colleagues as a smart man who was always incontrol.

Born and raised in Waltham, Steede died at home Monday. He was 78.

"He was a brilliant guy who decided to follow in his family'sprofession," said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy. "He was a gentle type ofleader and will be sorely missed in the community."

Steede served as Waltham's fire chief from 1984 to 1990, following inhis late father John's footsteps. John Steede served as fire chieffrom 1956 to 1964.

Steede also has two nephews on the department.

"I think people would agree with me, he was an intelligent man," saidFire Chief Thomas Keough. "He was a silent man, but a good, hardworker."

Steede graduated from Waltham High School in 1943 and joined the CoastGuard soon after, serving until the end of World War II.

He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1950,where he played on the golf team. He joined the Waltham FireDepartment in 1953.

His longtime friend Charlie McCarthy will tell you Steede spent hisfreshman year at Harvard when he was just 16.

"He was very quiet, but he had a good head on his shoulders," saidMcCarthy. "He was a very attentive man."

Steede was McCarthy's best man in his wedding and is godson to hisfirst-born son. Steede never married.

McCarthy recalled the days growing up with Steede in the Highlandsection of the city. "He was a great guy," he said. "Golf was hisforte."

But it was his command at a fire scene that colleagues will remembermost.

"He was very controlled. He knew how to direct and control his men,"said Keough. "You didn't even know he was there until he put a hand onyour shoulder and gave you an order."

Lt. Bob Sweeney said the firefighters looked up to and respectedSteede.

"He was quiet, but he got the most out of his men at a fire," Sweeneysaid. "He was a good man. He was a fun man.

"He played golf, he sang Irish songs. He was one of the guys."

Steede was promoted to lieutenant in 1957, captain in 1963 and deputychief in 1965.

He had been a former member of the Massachusetts Fire ChiefsAssociation and the International Association of Firefighters Local866.

He had also been a member of the John M. Sullivan Veterans of ForeignWars Post 10334 in Waltham, the Ancient Order of Hibernians inWatertown, Woodland Golf Club in Newton and the Loyal Order of MooseLodge 1018 in Waltham.

Steede will be laid to rest Saturday at 9 a.m. from the Joyce FuneralHome, 245 Main St., followed by a funeral Mass in Saint Mary's Church,133 School St., Waltham.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath, 95, ofPainesville, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church,242 North State St., in Painesville.

Kathleen

(Barrett) Horvath

A Mass of Christian Burial for Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath, 95, ofPainesville, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church,242 North State St., in Painesville.

Mrs. Horvath died June 1, 2005, at her daughter's home in Painesville.

Born March 4, 1910, in County Mayo, Ireland, she settled in LakeCounty at the age of 19. She had lived in Painesville since 1934.

She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Painesville, and theLegion of Mary, Altar and Rosary Society, and Marion Club, all of St.Mary Church. She was also a member of the Eastside Irish-American Clubin Euclid. Her hobbies included needlepoint and knitting. She was anavid history reader and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who made her family the center of her life.